Greedy parrot suffers death by chocolate

Southland Times

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE: A kea's binge session on dark chocolate proved deadly for the bird - and it is not the only animal to drop dead after eating chocolate.

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If you thought you had a problem with chocolate, just be glad you're not a parrot.

One kea's binge session on dark chocolate proved deadly, leading international journal New Scientist has reported.

The kea was found dead outside a hotel kitchen in Mt Cook village. It had eaten more than 20 grams of dark chocolate, presumably stolen from a rubbish bin.

When Massey University wildlife pathologist Brett Gartrell opened its stomach, he found it stuffed with "sticky brown gunk".

"He'd really pigged out."

An earlier report on the kea's death in New Zealand Veterinary Journal noted that the bird concerned had previously been involved in behavioural tests of problem-solving ability.

It had been in good shape before its binge session.

The New Scientist article said other veterinary journals are full of tales of animals dropping dead after eating chocolate.

It explains that cocoa beans are rich in caffeine and its chemical relatives, collectively called methylxanthines.

They are highly toxic to some animals. Just 240 grams of dark chocolate could kill a German shepherd-sized dog.

But human beings have less to worry about because of the speed at which our bodies metabolise theobromine - the most common type of methylxanthine in chocolate.

"Based on caffeine toxicity, an average adult would have to gorge on around 50kg of chocolate in a single sitting to get anywhere near a lethal dose."

- © Fairfax NZ News